Dear Dad
by stabmysanity11
Summary: Harry's been writing letters to James since he started Hogwarts. A series of letters.
1. Dear Dad Year 1

Dear Dad,

I started Hogwarts this year. I got into Gryffindor, just like you and Mum. Hagrid told me a lot about you. I never knew you were on the Quidditch team. Were you captain? I was made the first first-year seeker in a century. McGonagall put me on the team when she saw me flying to catch a fellow Gryffindor's Remembrall. I guess I reminded her of you, eh? Technically, I wasn't supposed to be on the broom without Madame Hooch present, but McGonagall must not have realized. Oh well, it worked out for me, didn't it?

I made two amazing friends this year. I met Ron on the train. He taught me about chocolate frogs and Wizard Cards. My first card was Dumbledore. I was really surprised when he vanished. I guess if I had grown up with you and Mum, I wouldn't have been. I saw you this year, you know. There was a mirror that shows you your greatest desire. I looked into it and all I saw was you. Ron saw himself as Quidditch captain and Head Boy. He's one of seven children, can you believe that? The youngest boy. I've only met his brothers Fred, George and Percy, but they all seem really nice. Fred and George are Beaters on the team with me. They tried to scare me into thinking Quidditch kills people. Although, I did end up falling off my broom in my first match. But we won! I nearly swallowed the Snitch.

I mentioned two friends before, and the second one has kind of a funny story to it. Her name is Hermione Granger, and Ron and I became friends with her when we all battled a troll in the girls' bathroom together. Ron didn't like her at first, but after that, he came around. She's really smart, too. She's memorized almost all the spells from our textbooks. She can be kind of a know-it-all sometimes, but I'm ok with that because she helps me when I'm lost.

My teachers are all really cool, except Snape. Oh, and Quirrel, but I'll tell you about that later. Snape didn't like me from the start, it seemed. He tried to say I wasn't paying attention to him in class, when in fact I was really just taking notes. It's like he hates me because I'm sort of famous, but I can't help it! I didn't intentionally defeat Voldemort the night…well. The night you died. At first, I thought Snape was to blame for all the strange things that happened this year. He just seemed to always be in the right place at the right time, you know? But it turned out that he was trying to stop Quirrel! It seems to me a strange thing for Snape to do, but he was actually helping. I don't think it was because he wanted to, though. I still think he has a hidden agenda.

Quirrel was actually the one who cursed my broom and made me fall at my first Quidditch match. Hermione thought it was Snape because she saw him muttering a counter-curse to Quirrel's attack, but she didn't notice Quirrel behind him. Snape's spell didn't work anyway, so I don't think he was trying all too hard. Quirrel was after the Sorcerer's Stone because he was working for Voldemort. In fact, Voldemort was on the back of Quirrel's head! He was drinking unicorn blood to keep alive, but Hagrid told me that when you drink something so pure, it turns into a curse, so Voldemort had to find some other way to come back, but it didn't work because I followed him into the hiding place and found the stone. Quirrel ended up dying. He turned into ashes when I touched him. I didn't feel all too bad, though, because he was trying to kill me so he could get the stone.

After all that, though, Gryffindor lost the House Cup. But Dumbledore gave us some last minute points at the End of Term Feast and we ended up beating Slytherin by 10 points! You should have seen the look on Draco Malfoy's face.

Ron's invited me to stay at his house for the summer. I can't wait to go so I can get away from the Dursley's. I wish I could live at Hogwarts all year. It's more like home than living with Aunt Petunia ever was.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry.


	2. Dear Dad Year 2

Dear Dad,

My second year at Hogwarts went about as well as last year. First, a House Elf named Dobby tried to stop me from going back because he wanted to protect me. He stole all my mail and got Uncle Vernon to put BARS on my window! Luckily, Ron was worried when I didn't respond to his letters, so he and Fred and George took their dad's flying car to come bust me out. Uncle Vernon almost caught us, but we got away. I think Uncle Vernon fell out of the window, though. I'm not sure.

The Weasley's live in a house in Ottery St. Catchpole. They call it The Burrow. I think they started out with a tiny house and then they started having more and more kids and they didn't want to move so they just built floors and floors on top of the original house. Ron's room is all the way at the top. Mrs. Weasley is a wonderful cook. She makes better food than Hogwarts, which is saying something, because Hogwarts had the best meals I'd ever tasted.

I finally got to meet Ron's little sister, Ginny, while I was there. Ron says she has a crush on me, but I think she was just nervous because I'm so famous. She warmed up to me after a while, so I told Ron to stuff it. She was sorted into Gryffindor like the rest of her family, too. It felt weird being older than the first years. I was one just last year! I didn't get to see the Sorting Ceremony, though, because Dobby had sealed off the portal to Platform 9 ¾. He was trying to keep me from getting to Hogwarts again.

Ron and I were so afraid that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley weren't going to be able to get back through that we took the flying car and flew to Hogwarts. We would have been ok if the invisibility booster hadn't been faulty. Well, if that had worked and we hadn't crashed into the Whomping Willow when we landed at Hogwarts. Was that tree there when you were in school, dad? It's a nasty tree. It nearly killed us, and it scared the car so bad that it threw all of our things out and drove off into the forest. Ron's wand snapped trying to calm the car down, but his family doesn't have enough money to get him a new one. I offered to help, but I think he was too embarrassed to take my money.

The year started off normally enough, until bloody messages started showing up in the corridors. I seemed to always be around when it happened, which made everyone think I was the one writing them. I'm just really unlucky when it comes to things like that, I guess…Plus it doesn't really help that I can speak snake language. Apparently, not a lot of people can, but Salazar Slytherin could. For a while I really thought I was the heir, except I wasn't the one writing on the walls, so I figured I couldn't be. It turned out to be Ginny Weasley! She'd found a journal and was possessed by it. The journal was Tom Riddle's (that's Voldemort's real name) when he was a boy and he'd enchanted it somehow. He used Ginny to unleash a Basilisk on the muggleborns in Hogwarts. Luckily, no one got killed, just petrified. Hermione is a muggleborn, did I mention that? She got petrified, too, but, as always, she helped us figure out what was happening.

Ron and I and Professor Lockhart (who is a fraud and an idiot) got roped into going down into the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny. Of course, Lockhart tried to use Ron's broken wand to wipe our memories and ended up blocking himself and Ron from me and casting the spell on himself so that he didn't even know who he was anymore. I heard he's at St. Mungo's now.

After Lockhart trapped me in the Chamber, I confronted Tom about everything and he explained who he was and why he was using Ginny. He was going to kill her and use her life to come back. I want to know how Voldemort comes up with these schemes. They're too weird. He made his Basilisk chase after me, but Dumbledore sent his phoenix, Fawkes to me with the Sorting Hat. I learned that I could not be a descendant of Slytherin because I pulled out the sword of Godric Gryffindor from the hat, and only true Gryffindors can do that.

I used the sword to slay the snake, but when I shoved the blade through the thing's mouth, one f his fangs got stuck in my arm. I don't know if you knew, but they're highly poisonous. I was dying, but I still managed to get rid of Tom Riddle and his diary by stabbing it with the fang. I don't know what kind of magic that was, but I was happy it worked, because Ginny woke up when Riddle was gone. I would have died if it weren't for Fawkes, though, because she shed a tear on my arm and healed me.

I wonder if I'll ever have a year when Voldemort doesn't try to kill me…I'm just glad that Ginny and Hermione are ok. And I hope I never have to drink Polyjuice Potion again.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry


	3. Dear Dad Year 3

Dear Dad,

Well…at least this year, Voldemort didn't try to kill me! But that's not to say I didn't end up in the hospital wing again. I think Madame Pomfrey's starting to like me. She won't admit it, but I know the truth. After all, I keep her busy every year!

I met Sirius Black, Dad. Funny story, everyone thought he wanted to kill me. They also thought that he had betrayed you and sold you out to Voldemort and killed Peter Pettigrew and 12 Muggles. To be fair, Peter did a great job of making it look like it was Sirius. The coward cut off his own finger! Then he turned into a rat for twelve years and went to live with the Weasley's, can you believe it? All along, the man who got my parents murdered was sleeping in my dorm room as my best friend's pet rat. Scary thought. I would like to say that Wormtail got arrested and Sirius got set free, but…it didn't quite happen like that.

Let's start in the beginning. Summer after my second year, I was still with the Dursley's because Ron and his family won a vacation in Egypt. Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge, came over for a visit and she made me so mad that I kind of inflated her and turned her into a balloon. I know what you're thinking: How was I not expelled for that? Well, since Sirius Black had broken out of Azkaban and was searching for me, the Minister for Magic thought I would probably be better off at a well-protected school. Plus, it wasn't like I waved my wand at her and intentionally blew her up! I just lost control and it happened. The ministry forgave me for that. They even saw to my school supplies and had everything waiting for me with a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the rest of the summer!

Because the Weasley's didn't get back from Egypt until a week before school started, they just stayed at the Leaky Cauldron with me. They picked up Hermione on their way, too, so the three of us got to spend a little time together before school, which was nice. Or it would have been if I weren't preoccupied with the fact that a mass murderer was out to get me. Again.

Not much happened that week, except I kept hearing a lot of things about how Sirius Black was looking for me and how I shouldn't go looking for trouble – when do I ever LOOK for trouble? Trouble FINDS ME. But I thought I'd be ok once I was on the train. I mean, how can a murderer slip past hundreds of students, right? Then again, he got out of prison somehow…Never really thought of that.

The train ride was going pretty well up until the dementors decided to come on board. Those things are…nasty. They came into our compartment and I actually fainted. I was so embarrassed, because I was the only one who'd fainted! I think I heard mum screamed right before I went out. When I woke up, you old buddy Remus was awake. He offered me some chocolate, claiming it helps with everything, and told me what happened. Of course everyone heard what had happened on the train and Malfoy made fun of me mercilessly. Oh well. Hermione punched him, so he got what he deserved.

I started taking Divinations this year because it seemed like an easy class to breeze through, but the teacher seemed to love predicting my death. McGonagall reassured me that she does this every year, but she seemed pretty adamant about it this time. She even had other people predicting it before long. It was annoying, but at least it made homework easier. If I wrote that I predicted I was going to die, I would get full marks. Hermione was right about the class. It was bogus. She ended up storming out, which was crazy, because Hermione loves learning. She didn't like Trelawney at all, though.

Remus was definitely my favorite teacher this year. He taught me how to cast a patronus. Mine is a stag, just like yours. He told me a lot about you. He says I look just like you, except for my eyes. I have Mum's eyes.

This year would have been the year to hand in permission slips to go to Hogsmeade, but Uncle Vernon never signed mine, so McGonagall said I couldn't go. Luckily, I had your invisibility cloak and Fred and George gave me the Marauders map. You guys were very clever, weren't you? I don't think even Hermione could come up with the idea, let alone the spell, for that map. And the insult to Snape? Genius! The map also helped us figure out that Peter was still alive. Remus confiscated it from me because he was afraid Sirius could find it somehow and use it to get to me, but when I told him I'd seen Peter, he changed his mind. He still kept the map, though.

Remember the Whomping Willow I asked you about? It was a secret tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. But you knew that already, didn't you? You knew because you knew Remus was a werewolf and that he used the Shack as a hiding place when he turned. That's why you became an animagus in the first place. Very clever. I found out about the passage through Sirius, sort of. Sirius was trying to grab Peter from Ron, but he ended up getting Ron instead, so he dragged them both to the Shack through the passage through the willow. Hermione and I tried to follow, but we didn't know about the knot near the entrance, so we kind of just rode the branches until it threw us into the hole. That was painful.

Course, by that time, we all thought Sirius was a low-life who'd sold his best friend out to Voldemort, so I hated him. But then Remus came in and tried to explain what was going on and Hermione told us he was a werewolf…and then Snape came in and started taunting Sirius…but I wanted to know what was going on, so I kind of…hit Snape with a spell so hard it knocked him out…It was cool, but he was so angry…Hermione, of course, was horrified because I'd attacked a teacher. Girls.

Sirius and Remus confronted Peter and made him turn human again, but he had no excuse. I'm getting angry just thinking about him, Dad…And I'm angry that he got away. But I certainly don't blame Remus. It wasn't his fault that it was the full moon. Once we got back to Hogwarts grounds, Remus was in the moonlight and he started to turn, so Sirius tried to keep Remus away from everyone and Peter ended up running away while that was going on.

And, here's the part I know you've been waiting for: I almost died again. I know, I know. But I told you, trouble finds me! I couldn't let my godfather die, so I ran after him and Remus…Remus had hurt Sirius really badly and he just collapsed by the lake, so I went to help him and that's when the dementors swooped in. They would have killed us, too, but here's the best part: I cast a patronus and saved us both. But it wasn't the me who was dying, it was the me that had used Hermione's Time Turner to go back in time and save Sirius! When I was dying, I swear, I thought it was you casting the stag, Dad. But it was really me. I'd like to think you were helping me, though.

Even though Peter got away and Sirius is still technically on the run, we managed to save him from the Kiss. Now he's laying low and hiding out, but we're still in touch.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry


	4. Dear Dad Year 4

Dear Dad,

This year has been really tough. Someone died, Dad. Someone innocent. His name was Cedric Diggory and he didn't deserve to go. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it was completely and totally my fault. To clarify: We were both contestants for Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament. And yes, before you ask, it was rigged. By a Death Eater. He confounded the Goblet of Fire into thinking I was from a fourth school and, as the only entrant from that school, naturally, I was the champion and the rules clearly stated that I had to compete.

That's not all, either. I had to fight dragons, hold my breath for an hour underwater and fight my way through a maze of death all so I could win the stupid tournament. But in the last leg of the maze, I teamed up with Cedric and we went to get the Cup together, for Hogwarts. But the Death Eater who had rigged the Goblet had made the Cup a Portkey and tried to make sure that I would win so that when I touched it, I would be transported from the maze to a graveyard where Voldemort was waiting for me.

Wormtail was there, taking care of the gross baby-like creature that Voldemort had turned into, and he brewed the potion to turn Voldemort back into himself. The first thing he did, of course, was order Wormtail to kill Cedric. He called him "the spare". That's all Cedric got. He was "the spare"! Once he was back, Voldemort called all his Death Eaters to watch him kill me. He didn't know (and I didn't either) that our wands were brothers, though, so when we dueled, our wands formed this unbreakable barrier around us. Dumbledore called it "priori incantatem", but I'm still not sure what it was. All I know is that you and Mum were there. You urged me to make a run for the Portkey, and Cedric asked me to take his body back to his father. So I did, while you all held Voldemort off, I ran to Cedric's body and accio-ed the Portkey.

Now that Voldemort's officially back, I don't know what'll happen. He'll be out to get me for as long as it takes, I suppose. But I can't do anything about it, because I'm stuck at the Dursley's.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry


	5. Dear Dad Year 5

Dear Dad,

Sirius is dead, and it's my fault. Just like Cedric. I got Sirius killed because I refused to let Snape help me. I've been having these flashes into Voldemort's mind all year, because we're connected to each other. Now that he's back, his mind is open to mine. Snape was supposed to help me learn Occlumency to shut Voldemort out, but I broke off the lessons. I was rubbish at it, and I kind of broke into Snape's mind. He definitely hated that and told me to get out, which I took as a "get out and never come back" kind of thing. I was happy to oblige and stop practicing, while I was at it.

And that's how Voldemort planted the vision in my head. He made it seem like he had captured Sirius and taken him to the Department of Mysteries! What was I supposed to do? Wait around for him to kill Sirius? Honestly, it wasn't completely my fault. Kreacher, Sirius' mother's House Elf, told me Sirius wasn't at Grimmauld Place when he really was. Kreacher's got a foul personality…he hates everyone except Mrs. Black, but she's just a portrait, thank Merlin. Did you ever meet her in real life? I'm thankful I never got the chance. Her house is a real mess, too, because Kreacher doesn't do a thing. I spent a little bit of my summer cleaning out the rooms of that house. It was an aggravating task because she had accumulated so much junk over the years, and most of it was Dark Magic artifacts that we had to be extra careful not to touch or open.

Sirius never got to experience life as a free man again. He went from being in Azkaban to being on the run to being a prisoner of the Order in his old family home to dying in the Department of Mysteries. Hermione thinks Sirius was living vicariously through me, because he encouraged us to start Dumbledore's Army. It was Hermione's idea, though, which was surprising. But I guess that just goes to show you how much one bad teacher can change a student. Although, technically, Umbridge was a Ministry official, not a teacher. She refused to let her Defense Against the Dark Arts students use their wands, because she was adamant that Voldemort had not returned, had not killed Cedric and that I was lying about everything. The awful thing was, some people actually believed her, because the Prophet had been printing the same lies every day!

Well, we showed them after the battle in the DoM. Cornelius Fudge himself saw Voldemort, along with about 100 other Ministry employees, so there was no more denying anything. They cleared Sirius' name as well, but it was done posthumously, so Sirius never got the satisfaction. I'm going to kill Voldemort one day. The prophecy says, "Neither can live while the other survives", and I'll be damned if I don't get my revenge against Voldemort now. And I'll take Bellatrix Lestrange with him, while I'm at it.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry


	6. Dear Dad Year 6

Dear Dad.

Dumbledore is dead. It seems like I start off every letter with another death. Another year, another death. No more. I'm determined not to let anyone else die. Before Dumbledore died, he told me about the Horcruxes Voldemort made. He told me he'd destroyed one, and that there were probably seven total. The diary I told you about in my second year was another one, so that's two down, five to go. Dumbledore destroyed Salazar Slytherin's ring, and we saw that he'd collected Helga Hufflepuff's cup, which we assumed he'd made into a Horcrux as well, because he killed the woman who had it.

We found what we thought was another Horcrux in a secret cave, but it was actually a decoy. Someone named R.A.B. switched the lockets. So Dumbledore died for nothing. And Snape killed him. I always knew Snape would betray him, but Dumbledore just wouldn't listen. And now look where it got him. Now it's up to me. Just me. I have to find and destroy the rest of the Horcruxes. But first I have to find out who R.A.B. is so I can figure out if he actually destroyed the locket or not. I have no idea how to destroy a Horcrux, either, so I'll have to figure out how to do that, too.

I wish I could take Hermione and Ron with me, but I have to do this alone. I won't let them die because they came with me. I don't know how they'll react when I tell them. They've insisted on coming with me, of course, but I just can't let them. They'll be mad. But it's better to have them mad at me than dead because of me, right? I just hope they'll realize that. Maybe, if we all survive, they'll forgive me. I hope.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry


	7. Dear Dad Year 7

Dear Dad,

I'm on the quest for Horcruxes right now. Hermione and Ron are with me. They refused to take no for an answer, and I'm so glad they did. I don't know where I'd be without them. Voldemort has taken over the Ministry. He's in control of Hogwarts. People are dropping left and right and I'm no closer to his Horcruxes than I was when Dumbledore died. It's depressing and discouraging, but we're working hard to figure things out.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry

Dear Dad,

Ron left me and Hermione. Hermione's blaming his attitude on Slytherin's locket. She knows people get testy when they're wearing the Horcrux, but I know Ron's just not cut out for this kind of mission. He's never had to go a day without his Mummy preparing his every meal. At least he had a mother growing up. He's just selfish.

Harry

Dear Dad,

Ron came back. He saved my life, actually, and he destroyed the locket. We don't quite know how we found each other, but he saved my life and retrieved the sword of Gryffindor and destroyed the locket. Hermione's still mad at him for leaving, but I'm glad he's back, because he's back to normal. I'm sorry I ever doubted him.

I miss you. Wish you were here. Love you.

Harry

Dear Dad,

The war is over. I'm sitting in the Great Hall, watching everyone celebrate Voldemort's defeat. Watching everyone mourn the dead. Didn't I say no one else would die? I guess I lied. But I couldn't stop them from fighting, I guess. At least they didn't die in vain. But I still can't get over it…

Fred died. I watched it happen. One minute he was standing there, actually making a joke in the middle of the war, and the next, Fred was gone, the smile still on his face. I can't bear to watch George mourn over his lost twin. Mrs. Weasley is so broken up about it…everyone is.

Remus and Tonks are dead, too. Teddy's an orphan now. I guess that means that I'll be taking care of him, since I'm his godfather. I doubt I'll be able to take of myself, though. I don't know how I'll be able to do that.

One good thing that came out of this: Ron and Hermione finally got together. I'm pretty sure they'll be getting engaged within a year or two. Then again, they lasted this long…

Speaking of relationships, I never told you, did I? I had a girlfriend for a while. Ginny Weasley. I broke up with her after Dumbledore died because I didn't want her to come with me to search for Horcruxes. I knew she would want to, if we were still together. Now that everything's over, I'm thinking I might try again. You'd approve of her, Dad. She's a redhead with a fiery temper.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry


	8. Dear Dad The Later Years

Dear Dad,

I've just proposed to Ginny. I figure it's high time. We've been together for three years now, after all. I didn't want to propose after a year, because she'd just finished school, and I wanted us to have some freedom before settling down, just to make sure we could handle it, you know? So, after a year, we moved in together, and now I've proposed. At first she was crying, but then she punched me and told me I should have done it sooner. Of course.

I love this girl, Dad. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else.

I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry

Dear Dad,

I'm getting married today.

I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry

Dear Dad,

I have a son. His name is James Sirius, and he has a tuft of black hair already. I don't think I've ever been this happy.

I miss you. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry

Dear Dad,

Another boy! Albus Severus. Another head of black hair. Ginny's getting impatient with that.

I miss you. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry

Dear Dad,

Finally, Ginny and I have a little girl. Her name is Lily Luna, and she has red hair and the greenest eyes I've ever seen. She is beautiful. Ginny punched me again. When I asked her why, she said, "Because I'm so happy." I still don't understand her.

I miss you. I wish you were here. I love you.

Harry


	9. Dear Son

_Dear Harry James,_

_I'm sitting in the hospital room you were born in right now. Your mother is sleeping with you in her arms. You're tiny right now, with a full head of black hair. I'm writing this, son, to tell you now and forever that I will always love you, no matter what. You will always be my pride and joy, and I will always be there for you._

_If, someday, I'm not around anymore to tell you that, I want you to have this letter to look back on. When you're reading this, you'll know. You, little boy, are a miracle in dark times. _

_I can't believe you're finally here. I love you._

_Dad_


End file.
